Prime Minister of Canada visits Hanwha Ocean Shipyard in South Korea
Tours KSS-III submarine that was recently launched for the Republic of Korea Navy and is one of the leading contenders for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project
October 30, 2025
Today, Hanwha Ocean was extremely pleased to host the Right Honourable Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, the Honourable David McGuinty, Canada’s Minister of National Defence, and Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, at our shipyard in Geoje, South Korea. They were joined by Republic of Korea Prime Minister Kim Min-Seok, Vice Minister of Defence Lee Doo-Hee, Deputy Director of the Defence Acquisition Programme Administration Kang Hwan-Seok as well as Vice Chairman of Hanwha Group Kim Dong-Kwan.
During the visit, Mr. Carney, Mr. McGuinty and VAdm Topshee toured one of the largest and most advanced shipbuilding facilities in the world, including the active production line for the KSS-III submarine. They also boarded and toured the KSS-III that was launched for the Republic of Korea Navy on October 22 – the exact same submarine that Hanwha is proposing for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP).
Also present during the visit were representatives from some of Hanwha’s Canadian partners, including Babcock Canada, CAE, Gastops, L3Harris Canada, ModestTree and PCL Construction.
In August 2025, Hanwha Ocean’s KSS-III was selected by the Government of Canada as a qualified supplier for CPSP. The KSS-III is a proven, in-service, in-active production submarine that fully meets and exceeds all High-Level Mandatory Requirements (HLMRs) set by the Government of Canada for CPSP. These include superior underwater surveillance capability and deployability in the Arctic with extended range and endurance that will provide stealth, persistence and lethality to ensure that Canada can detect, track, deter and, if necessary, defeat adversaries in all 3 of its oceans.
Importantly, Hanwha can deliver four KSS-III submarines to fully replace Canada’s current Victoria Class fleet before 2035 if on contract in 2026. Earlier retirement of the Victoria Class fleet will result in estimated savings of approximately $1 Billion on maintenance and support costs. The additional 8 submarines will be delivered at a rate of one per year, meaning the entire fleet of 12 submarines can be delivered to Canada by 2043. No other option can come anywhere close to this delivery schedule.
Beyond capability and delivery schedule, Hanwha emphasized its commitment to establishing a robust and long-term strategic partnership with the Government of Canada and Canadian industry in the areas of defence, space, sustainable energy and critical minerals that will create jobs and economic growth, accelerate Canada’s defence capabilities, and enhance cooperation, partnership and supply chains between Canada and South Korea – a relationship that is becoming more and more important, and one that supports the objectives of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. Already, Hanwha has MOUs and Teaming Agreements in place with more than a dozen Canadian companies.
Quotes
“It was a great pleasure to host Prime Minister Carney, Minister McGuinty and Vice-Admiral Topshee at our shipyard today and show them the proven, in-service and in-production KSS-III submarine that we feel is the best submarine for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project. Supplying the KSS-III to Canada would represent one of the greatest achievements of Korea’s defense industry. It will not only pioneer a new path for K-Defense but also serve as a turning point in building a long-term defence partnership between Korea and Canada. Hanwha Group will mobilize all its capabilities to ensure this success.”
Kim Dong-Kwan, Vice Chairman, Hanwha Group
About KSS-III Canadian Patrol Submarine (www.KSS-III.ca)
The KSS-III Canadian Patrol Submarine (KSS-III CPS) is South Korea’s latest evolution in conventional submarine technology—indigenously designed and constructed through decades of spiral development of a modern, conventional, ocean-going submarine. Over the last four decades, Hanwha Ocean has continued to evolve a proven MOTS submarine design culminating with the latest batch of the KSS submarine fleet.
Equipped with Lithium-ion batteries and an Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, the KSS-III CPS offers the longest submerged endurance among conventional submarines in service – exceeding 7,000 nautical miles. It is outfitted with both a state-of-the-art sonar system and acoustic tiles developed in Korea, offering outstanding target detection capability and advanced stealth performance. The platform is fully optimized for Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Minelaying, and Special Operations Forces (SOF) support.
The KSS-III is recognized as the only proven, in-service submarine platform capable of fully supporting Canada’s ‘Three Ocean Strategy’ — ensuring operational reach, surveillance, and deterrence across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans.
KSS-III is not an export-only model—it is the same class of submarine actively operated by the Republic of Korea Navy in real-world conditions. This ensures Canada will benefit from a proven platform, backed by an established supply chain and validated operational and maintenance data throughout the 30+ years of in-service support (ISS).
The KSS-III is the backbone of the ROK Navy submarine force. Acquisition of the KSS-III would allow Canada to be a member of the international KSS-III User Group which consists of a growing number of nations.
About Hanwha Ocean (www.hanwhaocean.com/en)
Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Geoje, South Korea, spanning 5 square kilometres, is one of the largest and most advanced shipbuilding facilities in the world and is where we build the KSS-III submarine. With more than 31,000 employees, Hanwha Ocean specializes in the design and construction of various naval and commercial vessels, including submarines, destroyers, frigates, auxiliary vessels, container ships, and tankers as well as offshore platforms, drilling rigs, Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) units and Floating Production Units (FPUs).
For more than forty years, Hanwha Ocean has been building and servicing submarines for the Republic of Korea Navy and other navies.
Since 1973, the company has built more than 1,400 vessels, including 114 naval vessels. The company designed and delivered the first KSS-III to the Republic of Korea Navy in 2021, and the second in 2023.
Hanwha Ocean constructs more than 40 naval and commercial vessels per year.
Canadian Partners (www.KSS-III.ca/Canadian-Partners)
Hanwha Ocean is committed to establishing a robust and long-term presence in Canada that will create jobs and economic growth, accelerate Canada’s domestic defence capabilities, and enhance cooperation and partnership between Canada and South Korea in a variety of strategic industrial areas.
Hanwha has teaming agreements and MOUs in place with more than a dozen Canadian companies, including Babcock Canada, Blackberry, CAE, Curtiss-Wright Indal, Des Nedhe Group, Gastops, J-Squared, L3Harris Canada, Modest Tree and PCL Construction, and has entered into contracts with two Canadian firms, Modest Tree and Hepburn Engineering.
Even though the background is blurred out at the periscope shot, you can see how big this sub is compared to others.
Carney is everywhere!